A propane well blowout occurred at approximately 1900 on February 28, 2012 at the ONEOK facility near Medford, OK while ONEOK was in the process of decommissioning the well. The well fed to a salt cavern that is approximately 950 feet deep and was used to store propane until the mid 1990s. Propane and Brine water are being released from the well head. Up until the morning of March 2, there had been limited access to the well blowout location due wind conditions blowing from the south. The reason the blowout occurred is currently unknown and the company has hired Boots & Coots to assist in capping the well and stopping the release. There is also a Union Pacific Railway that is adjacent to US Highway 81 on the east side of the highway. On March 1 at 1737, FEMA R6 reported the incident the to the National Response Center (NRC #1004508). At approximately 1800 on March 1, 2012, EPA OSC Delgado and START were activated by the EPA Phone Duty Officer Chris Ruhl and began mobilizing to the scene.
